BY ELLEN HUET, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Updated 10:35 pm, Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A New York man known for his unusually large penis was patted down by airport security at San Francisco International last week after they questioned him about the bulge in his pants, he said.

Jonah Falcon, 41, who has been featured in several documentaries about the world's biggest penises, was returning from a trip in San Francisco on July 9 when he was stopped at security by TSA agents who spotted something out of the ordinary hanging to the left in his pants, he said.

"They wanted to know if I had something in my pockets, and when I said no, they asked if I had some sort of growth," he said.

When he replied that it was just his penis, they "checked the area around it" but didn't frisk him too severely, he said. They also wiped his hands to check for explosive powder.

Falcon said the delay was mostly amusing to him and only delayed him for about 5 minutes. He said it was the first time his penis had caused a security concern.

"I"ve gone through the (airport scanner) before, and I wasn't worried," he said. "What was the worst that was going to happen — I was going to have to whip it out for them? I'm used to that. Sometimes when people ask me about it, if I'm feeling up to it, I'll just show them."

Falcon's penis has been reported as 9.5 inches when flaccid and 13.5 inches when erect, according to Rolling Stone. He has been featured in documentaries on HBO and overseas and has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He works as a video game journalist and as an actor with small roles in movies and television shows, according to his Internet Movie Database profile.

A spokesman for the TSA at SFO was not immediately available for comment. Falcon said the agents were "professional" about the security check.